Pickerel Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (SD)

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Lake depth chart

Pickerel Lake, SD

Max 41 ft

Today's read

Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 5 – Nov 15 · the Midwest edition — a ~10° drop off summer temps starts it mid-September and it builds as the water falls through the 60s; gizzard shad tolerate cold, so it outlasts the southern threadfin version

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageMar 15 – May 31 · in ~5 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMay 1 – Jun 30 · in ~7 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 20 – Aug 5 · in ~7 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at Pickerel Lake

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing Pickerel Lake: what the data says

989-acre lake near Day County. The lake tops out around 41 ft. The depth chart comes from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

Traced from the shoreline, Pickerel Lake runs 996 acres with 9.7 miles of edge. An index of 2.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. About 50% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Call it 3.5 mi long by 1.1 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Day County. For a second option, Enemy Swim Lake lies 4 mi south.

Yellow Perch fishing at Pickerel Lake

When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	open water	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Crappie fishing at Pickerel Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	open water	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Pickerel Lake

Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	open water	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	open water	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Northern Pike fishing at Pickerel Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	open water	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Walleye fishing at Pickerel Lake

When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig
Summer	15 to 35 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled)
Fall	12 to 40 ft	dusk & night	open water	Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow
Winter	20 to 40 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait

Largemouth Bass fishing at Pickerel Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Pickerel Lake also holds brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Count 7 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 40 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 40 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 27 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Pickerel - Old Hatchery — ramp (concrete plank - 3')
Pickerel Lake Lodge — ramp
Pickerel Lake RA - East — ramp (concrete plank - 3')
Pickerel Lake RA - West — ramp (concrete plank - 3')
Pickerel Lake RA East Unit — carry-in
Pickerel West — carry-in

Access data: South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks — Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Pickerel Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for South Dakota waters are set by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks — and special regulations can apply to Pickerel Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official South Dakota fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Pickerel Lake?

Pickerel Lake is about 41 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Pickerel Lake?

Anglers target yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, brown bullhead, smallmouth bass on Pickerel Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.

When is the best time to fish Pickerel Lake?

For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Pickerel Lake?

Fishing on Pickerel Lake is regulated by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Check the official South Dakota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Enemy Swim Lake 4 mi · Nutleg East 8 mi · Waubay Lake 9 mi · Lake Isabella 10 mi · Blue Dog Lake 10 mi · Opitz Lake 12 mi · Red Iron South Lake 13 mi · Clear Lake 14 mi · Kettle Lake 16 mi · Roy Lake 16 mi · Bitter Lake 16 mi · Lynn Lake 19 mi

See how Pickerel Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in South Dakota · best smallmouth bass lakes in South Dakota · best walleye lakes in South Dakota · best northern pike lakes in South Dakota

More water nearby: Day County fishing maps (7 charts). Browse all South Dakota fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.